Soca stars Machel Montano and Kernel Roberts, were granted TT$50,000 bail each after the Court of Appeal Friday ordered a retrial in their case dating back to 2007.
The Court of Appeal allowed the appeal by Montano and Roberts, the son of the late calypsonian, Lord Kitchener, against their convictions and sentence stemming from a fracas outside a nightclub in Port-of-Spain in 2007.
Both men had been convicted and fined in 2013 for assaulting a group of people outside the nightclub.
In December 2012, Magistrate Maureen Baboolal-Gafoor found Montano guilty of assaulting Gerard Bowrin, Janelle Lee Chee, Brandis Browne and Russell Pollonais. Roberts was found guilty of assaulting Browne and Pollonais.
Montano was ordered to pay compensation totaling TT$13,500 and fines totaling TT$13,700, while Roberts was ordered to pay compensation totaling TT$11,000 and fines totaling TT$13,000.
When the matter came up for hearing on Friday, Roberts was present but Montano was absent. According to Montano’s lawyer, his client could not get a flight to return home on time.
